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Hungry for more Soul Food

With major changes happening in The Game and Single Ladies, what is a black girl to do? Melanie and Derwin will not be returning for the 6th season and Stacy’s diva attitude got her booted from the mildly entertaining Single Ladies. I am starting to wonder (once again) where are the good black TV shows.

One in particular, that stays on my mind all day, every day is Soul Food. Let’s be real, the script was good, the acting was real, the situations were relatable. Here is a show that represented black people in a diverse way without exploiting and reasserting negative stereotypes.

As one of the few black dramas that is an hour long, this show explored issues of race, sisterhood, family, alcoholism, and everything in between. Teri and Damon, played by real life husband and wife Nicole Ari Parker and Boris Kodjoe, kept viewers coming back for more with their complicated love life and hot love scenes.

However, a good-looking cast is not the only reason for the show’s success. In this show we were able to see examples of black ownership and black entrepreneurs. Byrd (Malinda Williams) owned a hair salon and Kenny (Rockmond Dunbar) owned a towing company. It is nice to see what black folks can do outside of screaming and degrading one another.

The truth is, Soul Food was a quality show that represented the complexities of the black experience. Even though there are a plethora of shows where black people are acting a hot mess, these shows do not represent the entire black community. In some ways Soul Food was more real then some of the “reality shows” that are popular now.

All I am saying, is that I am over all the shows where exaggerating stereotypes is a requirement. And I am patiently awaiting the day for my next serving of Soul Food.